W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Various Artists - The Cocoa-Cola Australian Music Day (1992)

On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future. Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788.

With respect to Australia's Music Industry, we can be very proud of the contributions that our Aussie Musos have made in entertaining people from every nation with music and song, with many of our artists achieving world wide acclaim.

The following CD was released in 1992 with the support of Coca-Cola and Brashs record stores to help promote both new and veteran Australian Artists, some of whom have gone on to become stars in their own right.

Whether or not you still support Australia Day, in light of the recent controversy that has arisen with the validity of what Australia Day represents, I hope you will still support the spirit of the day, where we all come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian.

1. RADIO FREEDOM - "PROOVE" (Snashall/O'Hara)
Westside/Phonogram - Cassette 864357-4, CD - 864357-2
This is their current single. Radio Freedom are Pehl and Brett O'Hara

2. GIRL OVERBOARD - "YOUR LOVE" (t. Schouw/R. Gist/B.McNaughton)
BMG 4321103547 - Cassingle 4327103572, CD Single
This is the first single from their forthcoming album "GO"

3. TALL TALES & TRUE. "WATCHING THE WIND BLOW" (Matthew de la Hunty)
rooArt, Warner Music
Taken from their album "Revenge" 903777992

4. JAMES REYNE - "FERRIS WHEEL" (Jeff Scott)

Virgin/EMl

Written by a friend. He thought I might like it... I did ... It's on the next album!

5. PEARLS & SWINE - "N0 MORE ROOM !N HEAVEN (R. Gale/M. Ward)
Big Stars/Mushroom D & C 1-7747
Taken from their album "Far King Great" D 24010 Power - injected, lunacy laced, musical mayhem.

6. THE SHARP - "DANCE FOR ME" (C. Rooke)
East West
Produced by The Sharp. From the EP "Spinosity" 450990501-2

7. BASS CULTURE - "LOVE YOUR LIFE" (James/Berntan/Gardiner)
Mushroom MXL Music D77754
Debut pop dance single from new Melbourne group.

8. SCARLET - "LOVE HATES STARES" ( Ryper/Gosling/Tobin/Stringfellow/Lyons)
EMI 8740032
This is a new, young four-piece band from Sydney.

9. ASTRAL PROTECT - "COME WITH ME (TONITE)" (Andy Van Dorsselaer/Arden Godfrey)
Vicious Vinyl MXL Music VV12006
Upfront deep house techno music - produced by Melbourne Club DJ's.

10. CLOUDS - "SAY IT" (Young)
Polydor
"Say It" is the first single from the recently released Clouds mini-album "Octopus" CD 5170892

11. CLEOPATRA WONG - "THANKYOU" (Amanda Brown)
rooArt/Warner MuSic
From the debut 6 track EP "EGG" 9031772962

12. IMAGES - "LOST tN THE CITY" (MM. Holmes/J.Green)
Nova/BMG Cassingle - 4327704484, CD - 4321104482
This is a talented young four-piece band from Sydney

13. THE HONEYMEN - "FELT LIKE A KISS" (Sennett/Field)
Westside Records/Phonogram. Cassette - 864357-4, CD - 864357-2
The Honeymen are Sean Sennett and John Field.

14. JAMES BLUNDELL - "THIS ROAD" (James Blundell)
James wrote this song about the life of a travelling musician - himself
Taken from "This Road" album EMI 7993292

15. SHANLEY DEL - "FUNNEL OF LOVE" (M'Coy/Westbury)
rooArt/Warner Music 4509901012
Sounds like new country music to me!

16. PAUL NORTON - "WHEN WE WERE YOUNG" (P.McNaughton)
Mushroom - D&C 30840
Taken from the new Mushroom album "Let It Fly" D & C 16043

17. BRODERICK SMITH - "SNOWBLIND MOON" (8. Smith/P. Hyde)
Mushroom D&C 11219
Taken from the new Mushroom album "Suitcase". C & D 30825

18. THE LOVERS - "THE RIVER" (Alsop/Doumany)
One of Melbourne's new contemporary acts. Currently unsigned!

19. MARK GILLESPIE - "FLAME" (Mark Gillespie)
Aurora/Mushroom
Taken from the new album "Flame" C & D 30853
Mark describes this track as "an acerbic observation of the corrupting effect of fame"!

Australian Music Day FLAC Link (516Mb) New Link 18/11/2024

James Blundell - Selftitled (1989) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1987-Present)
.

James Blundell was born in Queensland town of Stanthorpe and was brought up on a sheep and cattle station near the town. As an adult he worked as a station hand across various locations in northern Australia. After a back injury sustained while working on a farm in Papua New Guinea he turned to music.

He won a Golden Guitar Award for best new talent of 1987. Blundell's eponymous first album, in 1989, followed up by "Hand It Down", which was released in the United States in 1990 following its success in Australia. Blundell's first works reflected his background as a jackaroo and his love of that life.

Blundell made a substantial mark on the Australian country music scene from the early 90s, notably through a very successful single, ‘Way Out West’, recorded with James Reyne and featured on Blundell’s 1992 release This Road. By the late 90s Blundell had become Australia’s bestselling country artist with albums such as Touch Of Water (1993) and Earth & Sea (1995). By the early 00s, Blundell’s work had broadened its base to incorporate elements of rock and pop, and he thus attracted an even wider audience than before. The anti-war single ‘Postcards From Saigon’ lodged in the Country Top 30 for four months and reached number 2 in the Australian Independent Singles Chart, where it spent three months. This song, which he wrote in collaboration with Terry McArthur, came from Deluge, a 2005 album that marked his return to prominence after a low-key spell that lasted a few years. Later in the year he presented his music together with prose writing by his father, farmer Peter Blundell: The Silver Tongued Devil & I: A Night Of Music And Verse.

Over the years, he has won nine Country Music Association of Australia Golden Guitar Awards. He also succeeded in the USA, appearing in Nashville and signing a major label contract with Compass Records.  [extract from James Blundell's Myspace]

In June, 2013 Blundell (48) was announced as the lead Queensland candidate for Mr Katter's Australian Party.
"James is anything but a career politician, which sadly 95 per cent of our MPs are", party leader Bob Katter said on Sunday.
"Like most Australians, James spent almost a decade of his young adult life in knockabout, hands-on jobs."
Mr Katter said the singer's work history and life experience made him an ideal candidate to become a voice for the people of Australia. [extract from Sydney Morning Times, June 3, 2013]
.
Now, I gotta say I'm not really a big fan of Country Music but I do enjoy the occasional folky ballad and I am a huge fan of 'The Dingoes'. I heard Blundell for the first time when he did a duet with James Reyne singing the Dingoes

James Blundell & Bob Katter

classic "Way Out West" and was an instant fan. When I saw this album for sale in a secondhand record shop some time ago, I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised by the scope of musical talent he possessed.  Backed by some great musicians, names like Garth Porter (Keyboards, Producer), Tommy Emmanuel (Guitar) and Buzz Bidstrup (Drums), this album is a real surprise.
This post consists of MP3 rip (320kps)  from my pristine copy of Blundell's debut album along with full album artwork and lyrics sheet. I have also included some bonus tracks, firstly a live rendition of his his first single "Gidgee Bug Pub" - taken from The Ray Martin Show in 1987 and his later hit single with James Reyne entitled "Way Out West" which was ripped from my CD.  I hope you enjoy this out of print album.
.
Track Listing
1. Dancers
2. Rainbows
3. Another Saturday Night
4. Kimberley Moon
5. Bandy
6. A Fool Such As I
7. The Great Divide
8. Texas
9. Cloncurry Cattle Song
10. Perfect World (with Donna Fisk)
Bonus Tracks
11. Gidgee Bug Pub (Ray Martin Show 1987)
12. Way Out West (With James Reyne 1992)
.
Band Members:
James bludell (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar)
Buzz Bidstrup (Drums)
James Gillard (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Iam Simson (Acoustic Guitar)
Tommy Emanuel (Electric Guitar)
Garth Porter, Larry Mahoberac (Keyboards)
Wayne Goodwin (Mandolin, Violin)
Mark Collins (Banjo)
The Moy Sisters (Backing Vocals)
.
James Blundell Link (93Mb) New Link 23/12/2023

.